vendor tree (Toy Tree Sculpture)

Wooden toy-vendor tree. Tree is made of an upright central bar, in three connected pieces, with two widely spaced bars tied horizontally above midpoint on front. String connects the bars to each other in order to enhance balance. 102 toys are tied or connected by thin dowels to the horizontal bars: 12 standing birds, 14 birds on perches, 3 fish, 12 snakes, 5 crocodiles , 5 dancing couples on elastic string, 7 house boats, 10 canoes, 2 houses, 7 open boxes with either a small snake or turtle inside. Also included in this count are several mechanical toys: 10 armadillos with moveable tails and heads, 5 pairs of woodpeckers pecking a dowel, 5 pairs of people using a pounder, 5 pairs of birds pecking a box. The toys are painted in tempura, with the standing and perched birds realistically coloured, and the rest of the toys painted simply and brightly. Most of the toys have signatures or inscriptions of Spanish names, written in black paint.